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Noctua NH-U12DX i4

CPU Cooling

With the NH-U12DX i4, Noctua is bringing their expertise in quiet CPU cooling to the world of Intel's Xeon E5 server / workstation processors. Traditionally there have been very few low-noise cooling options for the Xeon platform, as noise level is not typically a concern for such systems. When a server or high-end workstation needs to be operating in an office or other quiet environment, though, the Noctua NH-U12DX i4 is a good choice. It is also quite slim, allowing for easy access to the RAM modules typically found just to either side of the CPU socket. Due to its height, this cooler is limited to only select tower cases.

In some situations the fan supplied by Noctua with this cooler is not an ideal match for other hardware in our systems. The fans spin too slowly for some motherboards to detect, causing the fan speed throttling to malfunction. In other instances, more powerful fans are needed to handle higher wattage CPUs. As such, when selecting this cooler please note that the fan may be changed during assembly to a model that better suits the needs of the computer as a whole.

Jeff Stubbers (Mr. Customer Service) Says:This is a great choice for CPU cooling when not having your processor overclocked. This does a great job cooling your processor, has less moving parts, and is more quiet than liquid-cooling alternatives.

John D. (Senior Production Technician) Says:The Noctua NH-U12DX i4 is a really great CPU cooler for Intel Socket 2011 systems. The color scheme on the fan is a little odd, but this cooler's performance is exceptional in every regard. It mounts quickly and easily but is also very secure, and cooling is very good while also being very quiet. Highly recommended.

Josh Raye (Product Manager) Says:After checking the NH-U12DX out, I have zero doubt in the quality of this thing. It feels exceptionally solid, the fins are thick, the finish where it contacts the CPU is flawless -- just ask anything in regards to it's quality, and I will confidently tell you this is first class. If / when I move back to air cooling, Noctua will be the first name I look up.

Oscar Tirado (Customer Service) Says:First, let's start off by saying, I am a huge fan of Noctua. So this review may be a little biased.
When you think of Noctua, the word that instantly comes to mind is, quality. This heatsink is no exception to that. The NH-U12DX i4 really shows how good Noctua is at designing heatsinks & fans. It will cool any (Intel Socket 2011) Processor & do it silently.
If you can deal with the odd color scheme & afford to pay a little extra, you will not be disappointed.

Noctua's DX line of coolers has become a default choice in high performance quiet cooling solutions for Intel Xeon CPUs. The latest i4 revision supports LGA2011 (both Square ILM and Narrow ILM), LGA1356 and LGA1366 based Xeon platforms and the 12cm model NH-U12DX i4 comes equipped with Noctua's award-winning NF-F12 Focused Flow fan with PWM for automatic speed control. Due to its slim design, the NH-U12DX i4 now provides easy access to the memory slots and better compatibility with tall modules. Fitted with the professional SecuFirm2 mounting system and bundled with Noctua's industrial-grade NT-H1 thermal compound, the NH-U12DX i4 forms a complete premium quality package for quietly cooling Xeon based workstations and servers.